St. Louis prosecutors drop charges in killing; cite witness

ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis prosecutors say problems with a witness have forced them to drop murder and other charges against a man they had accused of fatally shooting a catering director in 2013.

Twenty-three-year-old Lorenzo Milton's trial last October ended in a hung jury. Prosecutors claimed Milton killed 48-year-old John Paulsen shortly after the victim had parked his convertible while heading home from a wedding he had helped cater.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports prosecutors opted Monday against retrying Milton on charges of second-degree murder, attempted robbery and armed criminal action. Prosecutors say they were unable to ensure that an essential witness would show up for the new trial.

Milton's lawyer says he doesn't think prosecutors believed much in their case anymore, and that dropping the charges was "the right decision."